Donald Trump wants the world to know that he is still “not happy” with Vladimir Putin. That has been his position now for three straight months, since the US President concluded in late April that the Kremlin leader might simply be toying with him or, as he put it at the time, “tapping me along”.
On Thursday, the toying continued as the two men spent another hour talking to one another by telephone. It was their sixth publicly reported conversation since Trump returned to office, and as soon as it ended the White House conceded it had been essentially useless.
“I’m not happy…I didn’t make any progress with him today at all”, the President told reporters, describing himself as “very disappointed with the conversation”. After insisting on the campaign trail last year that he could solve the war in Ukraine on his first day in office, Trump now finds himself reduced to a regular diet of public grousing about Putin, and yet has unleashed no reprisals against the Russian President to end Moscow’s foot-dragging and prod the war towards its end. “I don’t think he’s looking to stop, and that’s too bad”, shrugged Trump on Thursday, again providing zero indication of any consequences for the Russian leader.
Moscow, by contrast, appears to believe that Thursday’s call was a triumph. It took place after the Pentagon paused some weapons shipments to Ukraine, citing depleted stockpiles within the well-worn US arsenal. The move horrified Ukraine, but will have delighted the Russians who continue to note Trump’s oft-stated scepticism about the wisdom of Washington’s bottomless commitment to defending Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, will speak to Trump by phone today (Photo: Danylo Antoniuk/Anadolu via Getty Images)Yuri Ushakov, a top Kremlin aide, said “Putin told Trump that Russia will not step back from its goals in Ukraine”. He insisted that Russia continued to seek “a negotiated solution” to the war, but only on Putin’s terms. “The President informed Trump that Russia will not give up on eliminating all the root causes of the confrontation that has arisen”, Ushakov continued, in time-honoured phrases that the Russians use to indicate they seek a surrender of Ukrainian independence and sovereignty, and Nato’s withdrawal from positions it considers too close to Russia’s borders.
At times, Ushakov’s statement seemed designed deliberately to underscore the notion that Putin sees Trump as his own personal plaything. He claimed the two men discussed “promising joint economic projects”, including some in the areas of energy and space exploration. Having surrendered no ground over Ukraine, Putin then wished Trump a happy Independence Day, and noted the two men “can pick up the phone any time” and talk to one another again.
Lindsey Graham wanted to impose 500% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil – but has been forced to soften his bill (Photo: J Scott Applewhite/ AP)The Ukrainian President, Voldymyr Zelensky, invariably an afterthought in Trump’s mind, will only receive an update about the phone call in a conversation that the White House scheduled for Friday.
For an American President who shocked the world last month by striking militarily at Iran’s nuclear facilities, Trump’s supine approach towards Russia appears all the more extraordinary. The White House says the Pentagon is ready to take further military action to weaken Iran’s leadership if necessary, while the Kremlin is given an entirely free pass.
While some Republicans on Capitol Hill believe that Putin is the clear aggressor in the conflict and should be facing – at the very least – an additional raft of American sanctions, Trump has indicated that he plans to blunt their legislative initiative. Republican senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has softened a bill calling for 500 per cent US tariffs to be imposed on countries that purchase Russian oil. Last weekend, after coming under fresh White House pressure, the Kremlin said backers of the bill should be careful not to damage peacekeeping efforts in the conflict.
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The measure may come up for a Senate vote next week, but its latest version includes a waiver that will give the President the power to determine when, and under what circumstances, the secondary sanctions should be imposed.
Moscow seems certain that it can continue playing Trump like a violin. The relationship between the two leaders remains as enigmatic as ever, with Putin supremely confident that he can divert Trump’s attention with the promise of rich economic rewards for the US in the event that the war is resolved to Moscow’s satisfaction.
That Trump is left looking like a patsy, dancing to the Kremlin’s tune, does not appear to trouble White House insiders. It also does nothing to advance the day when Ukraine’s people and its democracy are both considered secure, and Putin is held accountable for war crimes against his neighbour.
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